Food For Thought: Is Xabi Alonso Nearing Liverpool Exit?

Is Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid Move Feasible?

Real Madrid have never eclipsed their interest in Xabi Alonso. Club president Florentino Perez has always maintained his admiration for the Spanish international midfielder and while a few days ago it appeared that Liverpool would not allow Alonso to leave Anfield at any cost, at the moment it seems that the Spaniard could be heading towards the Bernabeu soon.

According to recent reports, Liverpool are willing to negotiate with Real Madrid but want around €40 million for the player. Madrid, though, are not going anywhere near that margin and in the end might not have to. Because Alonso appears to have drafted in a transfer request, implying that he is no longer interested in playing for Rafael Benitez's side. This could significantly tilt the balance of play in favour of Madrid.

However, as everyone has been asking, how do Madrid accommodate all these players? At the moment without Alonso, on paper the Manuel Pellegrini-favoured 4-4-2 formation would see Lassana Diarra and Kaka in the centre of the midfield, Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben (assuming the Dutchman stays at the club) on the flanks and Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema upfront.

With Alonso in the side, the system won't be that simple.

Gabriel Heinze's Bernabeu Departure - Good Riddance?

Bye Bye Gabriel

Gabriel Heinze might not be the worst left-back in the world but he was certainly the worst among the backfour at Real Madrid last season. True, he did appear decent under Juande Ramos's more tactical and more defensive approach in the second half of the season but that he looked a non-Real Madrid material is undeniable.

The Argentine international has now of course signed for French giants Olympique de Marseille on a three-year contract and says that he walks out of the Bernabeu "happy, tranquil and with my head always high" but not many Madrid supporters would be eager to wave him a fond farewell.

Heinze has never really looked a world beater in his two seasons in the Spanish capital and although no one can deny his battling qualities and a very spirited approach to the game, he has done more wrongs than rights in his time with the 9 times European Cup winners.

Can Aliaksandr Hleb Revive Himself At Stuttgart?

Hleb In Search Of More Playing Time

Maybe Aliaksandr Hleb has learnt his lesson at FC Barcelona. Last summer when he left Arsenal for Barcelona, he must have been relishing the chance to play alongside Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry et al but one year fast forward and Hleb might well have been playing for the club's B side, so sparse and so ignorable was his contribution to the Blaugrana's success last season. As good a player Hleb was/is, he is not really in the same bracket as Xavi, Henry, Iniesta or Messi and therefore had to spend time on the sidelines.

This time the Belarusian was taken as a bargaining chip in the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-Samuel Eto'o swap between Inter Milan and Barcelona and was originally supposed to go to Inter on a one-year loan as part of the deal. Perhaps Hleb apprehended that he would not be able to play regularly at the San Siro - although the former Arsenal midfielder's creative abilities would have been a boon to an Inter midfield that is chiseled to break opposition's moves rather than create chances of its own - and decided to move to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga instead.

Hleb, of course, has played for Stuttgart earlier and maybe his return to the club where he made his name could help him shake off the dust that has been piling upon him for the past one year.

Subhankar Mondal